Intraocular Lens Insertion Device

ABSTRACT

An intraocular lens insertion device capable of folding an intraocular lens into a predetermined shape without giving a local stress to the intraocular lens. The intraocular lens insertion device  2  includes a lens disposing part  15  for disposing an intraocular lens  4 , a slider  7  for pushing out the intraocular lens  4 , a plunger  8  for further pushing out the intraocular lens pushed out by the slider  7 , a transition part  31  for deforming the intraocular lens  4  pushed out by the slider and the plunger, and a nozzle  32  for ejecting out the deformed intraocular lens  4 . The slider  7  includes a lens push-out part  47  having a larger contact area than the plunger  8  and a lens holder  52  holding one face of an optical part  4   b  of the intraocular lens  4  in one direction. The transition part  31  deforms a portion of an outer edge of the intraocular lens  4  parallel to the lens traveling direction in an other direction opposite to the one direction.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an intraocular lens insertion deviceused for inserting an intraocular lens or a phakic intraocular lens intoan aphakic eye that has undergone a cataract surgery or a phakic eye ina refractive surgery.

BACKGROUND ART

Elimination of an opacified crystal lens through an ultrasonicemulsification and implantation of a lens into an eye that has undergonethe elimination of the crystal lens are commonly carried out in cataractsurgeries. Nowadays, using a soft intraocular lens made of a softmaterial, such as a silicon elastomer or a soft acrylic material, anoptical part of the intraocular lens is folded by an intraocular lensinsertion device, and the intraocular lens in this state is pushed by aplunger to push out the lens from a nozzle, and is inserted into an eyethrough an incision which is smaller than the diameter of the opticalpart.

Intraocular lens insertion devices can insert an intraocular lens intoan eye through a tiny incision, thereby reducing the possibilities of acorneal astigmatism or an infection disease after a surgery. To furtherreduce the possibility of a corneal astigmatism or an infection diseaseafter a surgery, it is desirable to minimize an incision for insertingan intraocular lens into an eye as much as possible.

In order to minimize an incision, however, it is necessary to fold anintraocular lens in a smaller size. Further, it is necessary to fold anintraocular lens in a predetermined shape in order to fix theintraocular lens at a predetermined position in the eye through thesmall incision.

For solving these problems, it is disclosed that a transition part inwhich a lens is folded during the movement of an intraocular lenstherein has a basal end of an approximately rhombic shape that isgradually deformed into a circular shape at a leading end thereof (Forexample Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1: Specification of U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,604

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problem to be Solved by the Invention

According to the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, however, there hasbeen a problem that the transition part is difficult to design andfabricate as a luminal shape of the transition part is complicated.

In view of the forgoing problem, it is an object of the presentinvention to provide an intraocular lens insertion device which can beeasily designed and fabricated.

Means for Solving the Problem

To achieve the above-mentioned object, the intraocular lens insertiondevice according to a first aspect of the invention is characterized incomprising: a lens disposing part where an intraocular lens is disposed;a slider for pushing out the intraocular lens; a plunger fior furtherpushing out the intraocular lens pushed out by the slider; a transitionpart for deforming the intraocular lens pushed out by the slider and theplunger; and a nozzle for ejecting out the deformed intraocular lens,

wherein the slider includes: a lens push-out part having a largercontact area than that of the plunger; and a lens holder for pressinglyholding one face of an optical part of the intraocular lens relative toone direction, and

the transition part deforms portions of an outer edge of the intraocularlens that are parallel to a lens traveling direction relative to another direction opposite to the one direction.

The invention according to a second aspect of the invention ischaracterized in that the transition part has a pair of rails parallelto a lens traveling direction and the rails have an inclined faceinclined to the other direction as the lens moves to the travelingdirection.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

According to the intraocular lens insertion device set forth in thefirst aspect, an intraocular lens can be surely folded into apredetermined shape by pressing an optical part of the intraocular lensthrough a lens holder and at the same time deforming the outer edge ofthe intraocular lens into the opposite direction to the one directionthrough a transition part. Further, the structure is comparativelysimple, and hence, it is possible to readily form the intraocular lensinsertion device and further to readily mass-produce the same.

According to the intraocular lens insertion device set forth in thesecond aspect, the intraocular lens can be surely deformed into apredetermined shape only by moving the intraocular lens in the lenstraveling direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of an intraocularlens insertion device according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of the intraocularlens insertion device;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of a basal end member of theintraocular lens insertion device, in which FIG. 3A is a side viewthereof and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of a lens disposing part;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the structure of a leading end member, inwhich FIG. 5A is a side view thereof, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectionalview thereof;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the structure of a transition part, in whichFIG. 6A is a top plan view thereof, and FIG. 6B is a verticalcross-sectional view thereof;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the structure of a slider, in which FIG. 7Ais a top plan view thereof, and FIG. 7B is a front view thereof;

FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view showing the slider;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view along a line A-A in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the structure of the slider;

FIG. 11 is a front view showing the structure of a rod;

FIG. 12 is a partial enlarged view showing the rod;

FIG. 13 is a right side view showing the rod;

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the structure of a plunger, in which FIG.14A is a left side view thereof, and FIG. 14B is a front view thereof;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the structure of a grip, in which 15A is afront view thereof, and FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view thereof;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the structure of a casing;

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the structure of a case leading end, inwhich FIG. 17A is a plan view thereof, FIG. 17B is a verticalcross-sectional view thereof, and FIG. 17C is a right side view thereof;

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the structure of a case rear end, in whichFIG. 18A is a plan view thereof, FIG. 18B is a vertical cross-sectionalview thereof, and FIG. 18C is a right side view thereof;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing an assembling method step by step;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing the assembling method step bystep;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing the assembling method step bystep;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing the assembling method step bystep;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing the assembling method step bystep;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing the assembling method step bystep;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing the assembling method step bystep;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing the assembling method step bystep;

FIG. 27 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the way how the caseleading end and the case rear end are coupled together;

FIG. 28 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the way how theintraocular lens insertion device operates;

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing the operation of the device step by step,with partial cross-sectional views thereof;

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing the operation of the device step by step,with partial cross-sectional views thereof;

FIG. 31 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the operation; and

FIG. 32 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the operation.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter will be explained preferred embodiments of the inventionwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

1. General Structure

An intraocular lens insertion device 1 shown in FIG. 1 comprises anintraocular lens insertion unit 2 and a casing 3, and is structured insuch a way that the intraocular lens insertion unit 2 in which anintraocular lens 4 is loaded beforehand is placed in the casing 3. Theintraocular lens insertion unit 2 is placed in the casing 3 in thismanner, thereby preventing the intraocular lens 4 loaded in theintraocular lens insertion unit 2 beforehand from accidentally beingejected out therefrom, and from being damaged during a delivery thereof,and prior to a surgery such as at a presurgery preparation aftershipment of the intraocular lens insertion device 1 from a manufacturingfactory. Forming the intraocular lens insertion device 1 mainly of asynthetic resin overall facilitates a mass production thereof, thussuitable for a disposal application. Note that in the followingexplanations, the front of a lens traveling axis as a lens travelingdirection is simply called “front”, and the rear of the lens travelingaxis is simply called “rear”.

(1) Intraocular Lens Insertion Unit

As shown in FIG. 2, the intraocular lens insertion unit 2 has a mainbody 6, a slider 7, a plunger 8, and a lock mechanism 9. The slider 7and the plunger 8 are provided in such a manner as to move frontward andrearward in the main body 6. The lock mechanism 9 limits a frontwardmovement of the plunger 8. The lock mechanism 9 is released as theslider 7 is moved frontward, and then the plunger 8 becomes movablefrontward. The intraocular lens insertion unit 2 structured in thismanner pushes out the intraocular lens 4 by the slider 7 at first,surely folds the intraocular lens 4 in a predetermined shape, and thenpushes out the intraocular lens 4 by the plunger 8, folds down theintraocular lens compactly, and inserts the intraocular lens 4 into aneye. Accordingly, the intraocular lens insertion unit 2 causes the lockmechanism 9 to prevent the plunger 8 from pushing out the intraocularlens 4 before the slider 7 pushes out the intraocular lens 4, and foldsdown the intraocular lens 4 disposed in the main body 6 while moving theintraocular lens 4 frontward through two stages by the slider 7 and thenby the plunger 8.

(a) Main Body

The main body 6 comprises a cylindrical basal end member 11 and atapered leading end member 12. The basal end member 11 and the leadingend member 12 are detachably coupled together by a first coupler 13,thus integrated together.

As shown in FIG. 3, the basal end member 11 has a lens disposing part15, an engagement part 16, slider guides 17, a stopper 18, firstlatching openings 19, and an engagement protrusion 20.

The lens disposing part 15 is formed of a tabular member protrudingfrontward from a front one end. As shown in FIG. 4, the lens disposingpart 15 has a disposing-part bottom face 25 formed horizontal along thelens traveling axis A, and a disposing frame 26 formed at both ends ofthe disposing-part bottom face 25 parallel to the lens traveling axis Aand across the lens traveling axis A. The disposing frame 26 has framebodies 27, 27 and base end rails 28, 28.

Wall-like frame bodies 27, 27 are provided in a standing manner,surrounding the disposing-part bottom face 25 so as to be providedacross the lens traveling axis A, and the base end rails 28, 28 areformed integral with the frame bodies 27, 27 in a manner protrudingupward of the disposing bottom face 25.

As shown in FIG. 3, the engagement member 16 has first protrusions 21,21 and widened-part receivers 22, and the first protrusions 21, 21 andthe widened-part receivers 22 are provided at the front end of the basalmember 11. The two first protrusions 21, 21 are provided in a protrudingmanner on the outer faces of side walls in a direction orthogonal to thelens traveling axis A. The first protrusions 21, 21 are each formed in ashape like a wedge tapered toward the front. The two widened-partreceivers 22 are provided on side walls in a direction orthogonal to thelens traveling axis A and the direction in which the first protrusions21, 21 are provided. The widened-part receiver 22 is formed by cuttingout the side walls of the basal end member 11 so as to be widened towardthe front. Accordingly, the first protrusions 21, 21 are provided in adirection orthogonal to the widened-part receivers 22.

The slider guides 17 comprise a pair of slits which are formed in thecylindrical side walls and are parallel to the lens traveling axis A.The slider guide 17 is so formed as to extend from the front end of thebasal end member 11 up to the approximate center thereof. The sliderguide 17 has the widened-part receiver 22 formed at one end.

The basal end member 11 has the stopper 18 formed on the internalsurface of the side wall thereof. The stopper 18 comprises a wall soformed as to plug up a portion of the internal surface of the basal endmember 11 at the front end side.

The first latching openings 19 are provided at the other end side whichis the rear end side of the basal end member 11, and the two firstlatching openings 19 are formed in the side walls in the directionorthogonal to the lens traveling axis A. The first latching opening 19is integrally formed with a latching-part guide 23. The latching-partguide 23 is provided in the internal surface of the side wall, and isconstituted by a groove having a bottom surface and running toward thefront in parallel with the lens traveling axis A.

The engagement protrusion 20 comprises a part of a thread constituting amale screw formed in such a way that the external surface of the sidewall of the basal end member 11 functions as a root of the thread, andis provided on the external surface of the side wall in a directionorthogonal to the lens traveling axis A. The side wall is provided witha second latching opening 24.

As shown in FIG. 5, the leading end member 12 has the first coupler 13,a transition part 31, and a nozzle 32, and folds up the intraocular lenspushed out from the main body compactly, and ejects out the intraocularlens 4 from the nozzle 32 at the leading end. The leading end member 12has the first coupler 13 formed at the outer edge of the basal end, andcoupled to the main body 6. The leading end member 13 further has thetransition part 31 and the nozzle 32 in this order toward the frontalong the lens traveling axis A.

The first coupler 13 has engagement receivers 33, 33, a widened part 34,and a protective part 35, and couples the leading end member 12 and themain body 6 together. The engagement receivers 33, 33 comprise a pair ofopenings formed in the base end of the leading end member 12. Theopening that constitutes the engagement receiver 33 is formed in arectangular shape, and is formed in such a manner as to penetrate in adirection orthogonal to the lens traveling axis A.

The widened part 34 is provided in a protruding manner on the base endof the leading member 12 orthogonal to the lens traveling axis and thedirection in which the engagement receivers 33, 33 are formed. Thewidened part 34 comprises a protrusive piece formed in a shape like awedge tapered toward the rear from the base end.

The protective part 35 is provided between the base end of the leadingend member 12 and the transition part 31, and is so formed as to coverthe exterior of the lens disposing part 15 of the basal end member 11.

As shown in FIG. 6, the transition part 31 has a lumen 40, atransition-part bottom face 41, and a leading end rail 42 serving as arail, and folds the intraocular lens 4 disposed on the lens disposingpart 15 in a predetermined shape while moving the intraocular lens 4.Note that the rail is so formed as to support portions of the outer edge4 c of the intraocular lens 4 that are parallel to the lens travelingaxis A, from beneath.

The lumen 40 is formed in a shape like a mortar that is tapered towardthe leading end from the base end. The lumen 40 has the transition-partbottom face 41 and the leading end rail 42 at the bottom thereof.

The transition-part bottom face 41 comprises a tabular member formedhorizontally around the lens traveling axis A. The transition-partbottom face 41 is connected to the leading end of a disposing-partbottom face 25 of the basal end member 11, at the basal end of theleading end member 12, which is the rear end thereof. Thetransition-part bottom face 41 converges into the lumen 40 at theleading end, which is the front end of the leading end member 12.

The leading end rail 42 is formed by causing both sides of thetransition-part bottom face 41 to protrude upwardly from thetransition-part bottom face 41. The base end which is the rear of theleading end rail 42 matches a part where the protective part 35 and thetransition part 31 are connected together. Accordingly, the base endwhich is the rear end of the leading end rail 42 is connected to theleading ends, which are the front ends of the base end rails 28, 28provided on the basal end member 11. The leading end rail 42 has aninclined face 42 a which inclines upwardly toward the front. Theinclined face 42 a is formed in the vicinity of the base end of thelumen 40 formed in a shape like a mortar tapered toward the leading endfrom the base end. The inclined face 42 a has a rear base end whichholds the intraocular lens 4 in such a way that a portion near thecenter of the optical part of the intraocular lens 4 does not contactthe transition-part bottom face 41, and has a front leading end whichhas an inclination becoming equal to the height of the center of theheight of the lumen 40. Further, the leading end of the inclined face 42a is connected to a parallel plane, and converges gently into the lumen40 toward the front leading end of the leading end member 12.

The transition part 31 structured as mentioned above has the leading endcommunicated with the nozzle 32. The nozzle 32 has a circular crosssection, and has a leading end formed in a shape inclined downwardlytoward the front, and has a slit 32 a formed on the top.

Note that the leading end of the inclined face 42 a may have a heightincreased as it converges into the lumen 40 toward the front end withoutbeing connected to the parallel plane.

The inclined face 42 a of the leading end rail 42 has a certaininclination angle to the transition-part bottom face 41 in FIG. 6, butmay be parallel to the transition-part bottom face 41, and in that case,it is desirable that the inclined face 42 a should have a heightapproximately same as that of the base end rail 28 in the vicinity ofthe basal end member 11, and should gradually increase the height towardthe front. The leading end rail 42 may employ a structure of graduallyincreasing the inclination angle toward the leading end, i.e., having aheight approximately equal to that of the base end rail 28 in thevicinity of the basal end member 11, and of gradually inclining inwardlytoward the leading end.

The protective part 35 has a through hole 36 opened in a directionorthogonal to the lens traveling axis A and the transition-part bottomface 41. The through hole 36 is provided at that portion where theleading end of the lens disposing part 15 contacts when the basal endmember 11 is assembled with the leading end member 12.

(b) Slider

As shown in FIG. 7, the slider 7 has a lens control mechanism 45 and alock mechanism 46. The lock mechanism 46 prevents the plunger 8 frommoving accidentally, and the lens control mechanism 45 moves and deformsthe intraocular lens 4 disposed on the lens disposing part 15 as a firststage of a movement and a deformation.

The lens control mechanism 45 has a lens push-out part 47, a guidegroove 48, wings 49, 49, operation parts 50, 50, a loop guide 51, a lensholder 52 and a stopper piece 53.

The lens push-out part 47 is constituted by a part of a circular archaving a curvature radius approximately same as the contour of the lens,and is so formed as to contact the intraocular lens 4 surface bysurface.

The guide groove 48 is formed in such a way that the plunger 8 can moveback and forth along the lens traveling axis A, and the leading end ofthe plunger 8 can protrude frontward from the lens push-out part 47. Theguide groove 48 is constituted by a groove which is formed in one sideface of the slider 7 and is parallel to the lens traveling axis A.

The wings 49, 49 are provided on both side faces of the slider 7 acrossthe lens traveling axis A in a protruding manner so as to engage withthe slider guides 17. The wings 49, 49 respectively have the operationparts 50, 50 provided integrally with the respective protruding endsthereof. The operation parts 50, 50 are each formed of a tabular memberparallel to the lens traveling axis A, and each have a plurality ofgrooves 55 formed in the external surface in a direction orthogonal tothe lens traveling axis A.

The stopper piece 53 is constituted by a wall protruding in a directionorthogonal to the lens traveling axis A, and is provided on the otherface side of the slider 7.

The loop guide 51 is formed on the other face side of the leading end ofthe slider 7 where no guide groove 48 is formed, and is constituted by agroove formed in a planer shape similar to a loop part (to be discussedlater) of the intraocular lens 4. The loop part is held in a state whereno stress is substantially applied to the internal part of the guidegroove 48.

As shown in FIG. 8, the lens holder 52 is provided above the lenspush-out part 47 so that the lens holder 52 can tilt through a hinge 60.The lens holder 52 is constituted by a member formed in an approximatelyrectangular shape as viewed from the above, and has a sliding body 61formed integral on the top face. The sliding body 61 is constituted by amember formed in a shape like a wagon roof extending in a directionorthogonal to the lens traveling axis A, and has a curved face facingupward.

As shown in FIG. 7, the lock mechanism 46 has tilting parts 65, 65,latching parts 66, 66 and extending parts 67, 67. The lock mechanism 46surely locks the plunger 8 when unused, and surely releases the lockingwhen in use.

The tilting parts 65, 65 are a pair across the lens traveling axis A,and protrude from the respective rear ends of the wings 49, 49backwardly. The tilting parts 65, 65 are so provided as to tilt on aplane formed by the lens traveling axis A and the tilting parts 65, 65.

The latching parts 66, 66 are formed at the respective center of thetilting parts 65, 65, and are each constituted by a protrusionprotruding outwardly, i.e., in a direction away from the lens travelingaxis A. The latching part 66 has a tiny protrusion 68 formed at theleading end protruding in the direction away from the lens travelingaxis A (see, FIG. 9).

The extending parts 67, 67 are so formed as to protrude backwardly fromthe respective latching parts 66, 66, and each of which has an urgingpiece 69 protruding in a direction coming close to the lens travelingaxis A (see, FIG. 7). The urging piece 69 has a connection face 69 ainclined inwardly, i.e., inclined so as to come closer and closer fromthe front of the extending part 67 to the rear thereof. The connectionface 69 a is connected to a holding face 69 b parallel to the lenstraveling axis A at the rear of the extending part 67.

(C) Plunger

As shown in FIG. 10, the plunger 8 comprises a rod 71, a plunger mainbody 72, and a grip 73. The plunger 8 performs a second stage ofmovement and deformation on the intraocular lens 4 moved to some extentand deformed in a predetermined shape by the slider 7. The plunger 8then inserts the intraocular lens 4 folded up compactly into an eye.

As shown in FIG. 11, the rod 71 has a rod-like axial part 74 formed insuch a way that the one end thereof can protrude from the nozzle 32 ofthe leading end member 12, and includes a lens contact part 75, aprotrusive part 76 and a first attachment part 77.

The lens contact part 75 and the protrusive part 76 are provided at theone end of the rod 71, and are so structured as to contact the outeredge 4 c of the intraocular lens 4 that has undergone the first stage ofmovement and deformation by the slider 7, and then perform the secondstage of movement and deformation on the intraocular lens 4. The lenscontact part 75 is formed at one side of the front end of the rod 71 andis composed of a plane perpendicular to the lens traveling axis A.

As shown in FIG. 12, the protrusive part 76 is pressed in a directionorthogonal to the lens traveling axis A by the intraocular lens 4 pushedout and deformed by the plunger 8. Namely, the protrusive part 76 is soformed as to slide into the overlapped portion of the outer edge of theintraocular lens 4 folded as it travels in the transition part 31.Accordingly, the protrusive part 76 is urged relatively by the thicknessto which the outer edge 4 c of the intraocular lens 4 is overlapped.Therefore, as the intraocular lens 4 is deformed, the protrusive part 76is pushed in a direction orthogonal to the lens traveling axis A, i.e.,toward the lumen 40 by the intraocular lens 4. The protrusive part 76 isprovided on the other side of the front end of the rod 71, and protrudesfrontward beyond the lens contact part 75. The protrusive part 76 has anupper face formed in a smoothly and convexly curved face. In thismanner, the rod 71 has the lens contact part 75 formed in a direction inwhich the protrusive part 76 is urged by the intraocular lens 4.

A recess, concaved rearwardly, is formed at the front end of the rod 71between the lens contact part 75 and the protrusive part 76. This recessis provided to bend the protrusive part 76 when the lens contact part 75is pushing the intraocular lens 4, and is able to absorb an excessiveforce applied from the protrusive part 76 to the outer edge 4 c of theintraocular lens 4.

The rod 71 has the first attachment part 77 provided at the other end ofthe rod 71 which is the rear end thereof. As shown in FIG. 13, the firstattachment part 77 has such a shape that one side of the cross sectionrises up, and the other end is flat. In this manner, the firstattachment part 77 has an asymmetrical cross section with respect to adirection orthogonal to the lens traveling axis A.

As shown in FIG. 14, the plunger main body 72 has a second latching part80 and a circular disk part 81. The second latching part 80 is providedon the front outer face of the plunger main body 72, and is constitutedby an elastic piece 82, and a protrusive piece 83 provided on theelastic piece 82. The elastic piece 82 comprises a thin tabular memberlaid across the face of a hollow 84 formed in the plunger 8.

The circular disk part 81 is formed in a circular shape coaxial with thecentral axis of the plunger main body 72, and has a pair of releasegrooves 86, 86 across that central axis. Each release groove 86 has ashape similar to the shape of the latching part 66 as viewed from thedirection of the lens traveling axis A, and has a wide bottom face 87provided in the vicinity of the central axis and second protrusions 88so formed as to block the bottom face 87 and touch internally the outeredge of the circular disk part 81.

Further, the plunger main body 72 has a first attachment hole 89 formedin the front end thereof, and a second attachment part 90 formed in therear end.

As shown in FIG. 15, the grip 73 is constituted by a member formed in ashape like a cylinder having a bottom. The grip 73 has an internal shapeable to be inserted from the rear end of the basal end member 11, andhas a female screw 90 formed on the internal surface to engage with anengagement protrusion 20 formed on the outer face of the basal endmember 11. The grip 73 has a second attachment hole 96 formed in thecenter of the bottom face thereof. The grip 73 further has a pluralityof antislip protrusive strips 97 formed on the outer face thereof.

(2) Casing

As shown in FIG. 16, the casing 3 is a lengthy box having an openedupper face and a flat bottom face 3 a. The casing 3 comprises a caseleading end part 100 and a case rear end part 101, both coupled togetherthrough a second coupler 102. The casing 3 protects the intraocular lensinsertion unit 2 when unused, and holds the intraocular lens 4 disposedbeforehand at a predetermined position.

As shown in FIG. 17, the case leading end part 100 has a protective end105, a reinforcement piece 106, a holding rod 107, latching rods 108, alatching claw 109, a marking 111, and a gas venting hole 112. Theprotective end 105 is a standing wall surrounding the one end of thecase leading end part 100, and protects the nozzle 32 of the intraocularlens insertion unit 2 attached to the casing 3. The reinforcement piece106 is a standing wall provided on the internal bottom face 3 a of thecasing 3, and increases the strength of the casing 3. The holding rod107 is a cylindrical body provided on the internal bottom face 3 a, andhas an upper end formed in such a shape that a piece thereof on theprotective end 105 side is half removed.

The latching rod 108 and the latching claw 109 are provided at the otherend of the opened case leading end part 100. The latching rods 108 are aset of cylindrical bodies protruding in the vertical direction, and haveupper latching rods 108 a provided at both right and left upper portionsof the other end of the case leading end part 100, and lower latchingrods 108 b provided at both right and left bottom portions of the otherend of the case leading end part 100. The length of the lower latchingrod 108 b in the heightwise direction is longer than the length of theupper latching rod 108 a in the heightwise direction. The upper latchingrod 108 a is formed at a position shifted to the one end side of thecase leading end part 100 from the lower latching rod 108 b.

The latching claw 109 is provided at a tabular member 110 protruding inthe vertical direction from the casing bottom face 3 a of the other endof the opened case leading end part 100. The tabular member 110 iselastically deformable.

The marking 111 is provided at a position indicating a proper amount ofa lubricant agent in filling the lubricant agent in the intraocular lensinsertion unit 2 with the intraocular lens insertion unit 2 being placedin the casing 3. Note that the marking 111 can be marked on theintraocular lens insertion unit 2 itself, but the intraocular lensinsertion unit 2 has a limited space for putting the marking 111, sothat it is difficult to put a clear marking on the intraocular lensinsertion unit 2. In a case where the marking 111 is put on theintraocular lens insertion unit 2, when the intraocular lens 4 is movedin the intraocular lens insertion unit 2, an operator cannot see themoving and deforming intraocular lens 4, thus reducing the operabilityfor the operator. Therefore, it is not suitable to put the marking 111on the intraocular lens insertion unit 2 itself.

On the other hand, according to the intraocular lens insertion device 1of the embodiment, the marking 111 is put on the casing 3, so that anoperator can clearly become aware of a position indicating the properamount of the lubricant agent. Because the intraocular lens insertionunit 2 does not have the marking 111, the operator can see the movingand deforming intraocular lens 4 when the intraocular lens 4 moves inthe intraocular lens insertion unit 2, thus improving the operabilityfor the operator. The marking 111 can be in various forms, and forexample, can be constituted by punch marking, printing, or a protrusivepiece.

The gas venting hole 112 is formed through the base bottom face 3 a,thus making it possible to smoothly introduce and remove a gas at thetime of a gaseous sterilization.

As shown in FIG. 18, the case rear end part 101 has a locking part 120,third latching holes 121, a claw receiving part 122, and a positioningpart 123. The locking part 120 is formed by cutting both side walls soas to substantially correspond to the operation parts 50, 50. The thirdlatching holes 121 are in positions, which are located at an opened endof the case rear end part 101, and correspond to the respective latchingrods 108 formed on the case leading end part 100. The positioning part123 is formed by raising the casing bottom face 3 a of the other end ofthe case rear end part 101 in a vertical direction.

The claw receiving part 122 is provided at a tabular member 124protruding from the casing bottom face 3 a of the opened end of the caserear end part 101 in the vertical direction. The tabular member 124 iselastically deformable.

The case rear end part 101 has detachment preventive parts 125 formed onthe internal surfaces of the respective side walls. The detachmentpreventive part 125 has a protrusion protruding inwardly, and the upperend of the protrusion has a face inclined gently.

2. Assembling Method

Next, an explanation will be given of the method of assembling theintraocular lens insertion device 1 of the invention with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

First, the second attachment part 90 of the plunger main body 72 isfitted into the second attachment hole 96 of the grip 73, therebycoupling the grip 73 and the plunger main body 72 (see, FIG. 19). Atthis time, the second attachment part 90 is axially supported by thesecond attachment hole 96. Accordingly, the grip 73 is rotatablysupported with respected to the plunger main body 72. Next, the firstattachment part 77 of the rod 71 is inserted into the first attachmenthole 89 of the plunger main body 72, and fixes the rod 71 to the plungermain body 72 (see, FIG. 20). Because the first attachment part 77 of therod 71 has a cross section asymmetrical in a direction orthogonal to thelens traveling axis A, the rod 71 can be surely fixed to the plungermain body 72 in a predetermined direction. The grip 73, the plunger mainbody 72, and the rod 71 are coupled together in this manner, therebyassembling the plunger 8.

Subsequently, the slider 7 is attached to the basal end member 11 (see,FIG. 21). To attach the slider 7 to the basal end member 11, one end ofthe basal end member 11 where the slider guide 17 is formed is widenedin the direction orthogonal to the lens traveling axis A, and theextending parts 67, 67 are inserted through the one end to attach theslider 7. The slider 7 is attached in such a way that the directionthereof at this time becomes a direction in which the one end providedwith the guide groove 48 faces the lens disposing part 15 of the basalend member 11. The wings 49, 49 are slid in the respective slider guides17 by holding the operation parts 50, 50, and the slider 7 is slid untilthe wings 49, 49 reach the ends of the respective slider guides 17. Atthe same time, the latching parts 66, 66 of the slider 7 latch with therespective first latching holes 19 of the basal end member 11.

The plunger 8 is inserted through the other end of the basal end member11 to which the slider 7 is attached in this manner (see, FIG. 22). Atthis time, the rod 71 of the plunger 8 is first inserted, and the urgingpiece 69 of the slider 7 is caused to engage with the release groove 86formed in the side face of the plunger main body 72. The plunger 8 isinserted until the second latching part 80 of the plunger main body 72engages with the second latching hole 24 of the basal end member 11.

As explained above, the second latching part 80 is constituted by theelastic piece 82, and the protrusive piece 83 provided on the elasticpiece 82, and the elastic piece 82 is a thin tabular member laid acrossthe face of the hollow 84 formed in the plunger 8 in a hanging manner,thus being able to easily deform. Accordingly, by merely inserting theplunger 8 into the basal end member 11, the second latching part 80 canengage with the second latching hole 24, thereby facilitating anassembling of the plunger 8 to the leading end member 12.

The urging piece 69 inclines inwardly from the front of the extendingpart 67 to the rear thereof, i.e., inclines so as to come close to thelens traveling axis A, and thus as the plunger 8 engages with the guidegroove 48, the tilting parts 65, 65 tilt outwardly. As the tilting parts65, 65 tilt outwardly, the latching parts 66, 66 are urged outwardly, sothat the latching parts 66, 66 can be surely engaged with the latchingholes of the basal end member 11.

A frontward movement of the plunger 8 is locked because the secondprotrusions 88 of the circular disk part 81 contact the latching parts66, 66 of the slider 7.

With the frontward movement of the plunger 8 being locked, the basal endmember 11 is placed in the case rear end part 101 (see, FIG. 23). Theoperation parts 50, 50 are inserted into the lock parts 120, and at thesame time, the other end of the basal end member 11 contacts thepositioning part 123 of the case rear end part 101. The outer face ofthe basal end member 11 is engaged with the detachment preventive parts125 provided on both side walls of the case rear end part 101. The basalend member 11 is placed in the case rear end part 101 in this manner,and the operation parts 50, 50 of the slider 7 are inserted into thelock parts 120 provided in both side walls of the case rear end part101, thereby locking a frontward or rearward movement of the slider 7.

With the plunger 8 and the slider 7 being locked in this manner, theintraocular lens 4 is disposed on the lens disposing part 15 (see, FIG.24). The intraocular lens 4 is disposed in such a way that one of a pairof loop parts 4 a is positioned at the groove of the loop guide 51 ofthe slider 7, and the outer edge 4 c of the optical part 4 b is mountedon the base end rails 28, 28 of the lens disposing part 15. Because thebase end rails 28, 28 protrude upwardly from the disposing-part bottomface 25, the intraocular lens 4 can be disposed so as not to have theportion around the center of the optical part 4 b contacted by thedisposing-part bottom face 25. Therefore, according to the intraocularlens insertion device 1, the intraocular lens 4 can be stored withoutapplying a load to the intraocular lens 4.

According to the embodiment, the intraocular lens 4 is disposed with thebasal end member 11 being placed in the case rear end part 101 havingthe flat casing bottom face 3 a. Because the casing 3 is splittable, andone part thereof is attached to the basal end member 11, the basal endmember 11 having the lens disposing part 15 can be held in a stablestate without any specific jigs, thereby facilitating a disposition ofthe intraocular lens 4 on the lens disposing part 15.

The engagement part 16 of the basal end member 11 where the intraocularlens 4 is mounted is engaged with the engagement receivers 33, 33 of theleading end member 12, thereby coupling the leading end member 12 andthe basal end member 11 together (see, FIG. 25). The leading end member12 has the widened part 34, and as the widened part 34 is inserted intothe widened-part receiver 22 of the basal end member 11, the one end ofthe basal end member 11 is pushed and widened in a direction orthogonalto the lens traveling axis A and the direction in which the widened-partreceiver 22 is provided. Accordingly, the first protrusions 21, 21 ofthe basal end member 11 provided in a direction orthogonal to thewidened-part receiver 22 are caused to bite into the engagementreceivers 33, so that the basal end member 11 and the leading end member12 can be surely coupled together.

By coupling the basal end member 11 and the leading end member 12together, the disposing-part bottom face 25 of the basal end member 11and the transition-part bottom face 41 of the leading end member 12 areconnected together, and the base end rails 28, 28 of the basal endmember 11 and the leading end rail 42 of the leading end member 12 arecoupled together.

Because the leading end member 12 is provided with the protective part35, the intraocular lens 4 disposed on the lens disposing part 15 can beprotected.

Subsequently, the latching rod 108 of the case leading end part 100 isinserted into the third latching hole 121 of the case rear end part 101to do positioning, and the latching claw 109 of the case leading endpart 100 is engaged with the claw receiving part 122 of the case rearend part 101 (see, FIG. 26). Note that in a case where positioning iscarried out with the four latching rods 108 as in the presentembodiment, it is difficult to coincidentally position all four rods tothe third latching holes 121.

On the other hand, according to the embodiment, the latching rod 108 atthe case leading end part 100 is formed in such a way that the length ofthe lower latching rod 108 b in the heightwise direction is longer thanthe length of the upper latching rod 108 a in the heightwise direction.Accordingly, the lower latching rod 108 b is first inserted into thethird latching hole 121, and then the upper latching rod 108 a isinserted into the third latching hole 121, thereby enabling a reliablepositioning. Namely, changing the lengths of the lower latching rod 108b and the upper latching rod 108 a enables the positioning two positionsby two positions, thereby remarkably facilitating positioning ascompared to by conventional techniques where positioning is carried outon four positions at the same time (see, FIG. 27).

According to the embodiment, because the latching claw 109 is engagedwith the claw receiving part 122, the case rear end part 101 and thecase leading end part 100 can be surely coupled together. Further, whenthe latching claw 109 is engaged with the claw receiving part 122, thelatching claw 109 makes an engagement sound, thereby preventing anassembling failure like an improper engagement.

The case leading end part 100 has the holding rod 107 provided on theinternal bottom face, and the holding rod 107 is inserted into thethrough hole 36 provided in the protective part 35 of the leading endmember 12. The through hole 36 is provided in a position where theleading end of the lens disposing part 15 inserted in the protectivepart 35 abuts, so that the holding rod 107 prevents the intraocular lens4 from moving frontward. Therefore, according to the embodiment, theintraocular lens 4 can be surely held at a predetermined position whencarried.

3. Working and Effectiveness

Next, an explanation will be given of the working and effectiveness ofthe intraocular lens insertion device 1 of the embodiment.

First, with the intraocular lens insertion unit 2 being placed in thecasing 3 (see, FIG. 26), a viscoelastic material as a lubricant agent isfilled in the lens disposing part 15 of the intraocular lens insertionunit 2 through the through hole 36 provided in the leading end member12.

Because the case leading end part 100 has the marking 111 provided at aposition indicating the proper amount of the viscoelastic material, itis easy to fill the viscoelastic material at a proper amount.

According to the intraocular lens insertion device 1, with theintraocular lens insertion unit 2 being placed in the casing 3, theviscoelastic material is filled in the lens disposing part 15 in thismanner, and thus it is possible to fill the viscoelastic material withthe slider 7 and the plunger 8 being locked and with the nozzle 32 beingprotected.

Note that the holding rod 107 provided on the case leading end part 100is inserted into the through hole 36 to prevent the intraocular lens 4from moving, but because the upper part of the holding rod 107 is formedin such a shape that a piece on the protective part 105 side is halfremoved, the through hole 36 on the upper part of the leading end member12 is not plugged by the holding rod 107. Therefore, the viscoelasticmaterial can be surely filled in the lens disposing part 15 through thethrough hole 36.

When the intraocular lens insertion unit 2 in which the viscoelasticmaterial is filled is removed from the casing 3, the slider 7 becomesmovable. Note that the plunger 8 is locked by the lock mechanism 9 so asnot to move frontward.

The operation parts 50, 50 are grasped, and the slider 7 is movedfrontward. As the slider 7 is pushed out, the latching parts 66, 66 abutthe internal edges of the first latching holes 19, 19, and the tiltingparts 65, 65 tilt inwardly. As the slider 7 is further pushed out, thelatching parts 66, 66 pass over the first latching holes 19, 19, and thetiny protrusions 68, 68 provided at the leading ends of the respectivelatching parts 66 engage with the latching-part guide 23. Then, theengagement of the latching parts 66 and the first latching holes 19, 19is released, so that the slider 7 can become movable frontward (see,FIG. 28).

At the leading end of the slider 7, the first stage of movement anddeformation is performed on the intraocular lens 4. That is, the lenspush-out part 47 of the slider 7 abuts the outer edge 4 c of theintraocular lens 4, and pushes out the intraocular lens 4 (see, FIG.29A, FIG. 30A). At the same time, the lens holder 52 is pushed againstthe internal wall of the transition part 31, and swayed downwardly asviewed from a side, and pressingly holds the one face of the opticalpart of the intraocular lens 4 in a downward direction, which is the onedirection (see, FIG. 29B, FIG. 30B).

On the other hand, the intraocular lens 4 moves on the leading end rail42 that has the inclined face 42 a inclined upwardly which is adirection opposite to the direction of pushing the intraocular lens 4 bythe lens holder 52, as the intraocular lens 4 moves to the front.

Accordingly, the leading end rail 42 upwardly deforms both sides of theouter edge 4 c across the lens traveling axis A, which are portionsparallel to the lens traveling direction, in the peripheral edge of theintraocular lens 4, in a direction opposite to the direction in whichthe intraocular lens 4 is pushed by the lens holder 52 (see, FIG. 30C).

Therefore, according to the intraocular lens insertion unit 2 of theembodiment, the lens holder 52 presses the optical part of theintraocular lens 4 downwardly, while the leading end rail 42 upwardlypushes both sides of the outer edge 4 c of the intraocular lens 4 acrossthe lens traveling axis A. Accordingly, the intraocular lens insertionunit 2 can surely fold the intraocular lens 4 in a predetermined shape,i.e., such a shape that the optical part surely protrudes downwardly inthe embodiment (see, FIG. 29C and FIG. 30D).

Note that according to the conventional intraocular lens insertiondevices, the base end of the transition part is formed in anapproximately diamond-like shape, and the leading end thereof isdeformed into a circular shape gradually to deform an intraocular lensinto a predetermined shape, and hence the shape of the transition partis complex.

In contrast, according to the intraocular lens insertion unit 2 of theembodiment, the leading end rail 42 is provided with the inclined face42 a to deform both sides of the outer edge 4 c of the intraocular lens4 across the lens traveling axis A. Therefore, the shape of thetransition part 31 is simplified, thus facilitating the manufacturing ofthe transition part.

Further, according to the intraocular lens insertion unit 2, theintraocular lens 4 is pushed out by the slider 7 having the lenspush-out part 47 which has a larger contact face than the lens contactpart 75 of the plunger 8. Accordingly, the intraocular lens insertionunit 2 can push out the intraocular lens 4 without applying localstress.

Still further, the sliding body 61 of the lens holder 52 is formed in ashape like a wagon roof, the sliding body 61 can slide uniformly againstthe internal wall of the transition part 31, so that it is possible tohold the optical part 4 b of the intraocular lens 4 uniformly.

Yet further, according to the intraocular lens insertion unit 2, becausethe stopper 18 which abuts the stopper piece 53 of the slider 7 isprovided on the basal end member 11, even if the slider 7 is pushed outwith strong force, the leading end member 12 does not come apart (see,FIG. 31).

As the slider 7 is pushed out, locking of the plunger 8 by the lockmechanism 9 is released. That is, as the slider 7 is pushed out,engagement of the latching parts 66, 66 and the second protrusion 88provided on the circular disk part 81 of the plunger main body 72 arereleased. Accordingly, the locking of the plunger 8 is released, and theplunger 8 becomes movable frontward while engaging the tilting parts 65with the release grooves 86, 86 of the circular disk part 81 (see, FIG.32).

As explained above, because the slider 7 has the extending parts 67, 67,the position of the tilting parts 65 provided on the slider 7 ismaintained so as not to be shifted with respect to the release grooves86 of the plunger main body 72 even when the slider 7 is movedfrontward. Therefore, when the slider 7 is moved frontward, the releasegrooves 86 and the tilting parts 65 can surely engage with one another.Accordingly, it is possible to surely fit the tilting parts 65, 65 intothe respective release grooves 86, 86 after the slider 7 is moved, thusensuring the locking of the plunger 8 to be released, so that theplunger 8 becomes able to be pushed out.

The released plunger 8 performs the second stage of movement anddeformation on the intraocular lens 4 deformed in the predeterminedshape by the slider 7. That is, as the plunger 8 is pushed out frontwardthrough the guide groove 48 provided in the one side of the slider 7,the lens contact part 75 contacts the outer edge 4 c of the intraocularlens 4 deformed in the predetermined shape by the slider 7. The grip 73is then pushed out, and the female screw 95 is threaded with theengagement protrusion 20 of the basal end member 11. As the grip 73 isrotated in this state, the plunger 8 can be moved to a predeterminedextent. As the plunger 8 is moved frontward in this manner, theintraocular lens 4 is further pushed out to the transition part 31, andis folded more compactly (see, FIG. 29D and FIG. 30E). At this time, asliding resistance applied to the leading end of the rod 71 becomeslarge.

According to a plunger 8 of the conventional technologies, when thesliding resistance caused by the intraocular lens 4 becomes large tosome extent, the leading end of the plunger 8 may run on the opticalpart of the intraocular lens 4.

In contrast, according to the intraocular lens insertion unit 2 of theembodiment, the rod 71 has the protrusive part 76 formed at the leadingend thereof. The protrusive part 76 slides into the overlapped portionof the outer edge 4 c of the intraocular lens 4 folded as it travels inthe transition part 31. Accordingly, the protrusive part 76 isrelatively urged by the thickness to which the outer edge of theintraocular lens 4 is overlapped. Namely, the protrusive part 76receives force in a direction orthogonal to the lens traveling axis Afrom the intraocular lens 4 pushed and deformed by the plunger 8, andthe force is applied to the lens contact part 75. Then, the lens contactpart 75 is pressed downward of the optical part 4 b of the intraocularlens 4 by this force. Therefore, even if the sliding resistance becomeslarge as the intraocular lens 4 is folded compactly, the lens contactpart 75 is urged downward of the optical part 4 b of the intraocularlens 4, thereby surely preventing the plunger 8 from running on theoptical part 4 b.

Further, according to the intraocular lens insertion unit 2, the upperface of the protrusive part 76 is formed in a smooth curved shape.Therefore, it is possible to prevent the optical part 4 b of theintraocular lens 4 from being damaged due to the upper face of theprotrusive part 76. Accordingly, the intraocular lens insertion unit 2can cause the ejected intraocular lens 4 to achieve a desiredcharacteristic.

Still further, according to the intraocular lens insertion unit 2, thelens contact part 75 is formed by a plane. Accordingly, it is possibleto easily position the intraocular lens 4 and the leading end of theplunger 8. Therefore, the intraocular lens insertion unit 2 can surelyfold the intraocular lens 4 compactly to eject it.

An intraocular lens insertion device which does not have the foregoingslider 7 can also achieve the above-mentioned effect that a running ofthe plunger 8 on the optical part 4 b of the intraocular lens 4 issurely prevented because the plunger 8 has the protrusive part 76provided at the leading end thereof. Namely, intraocular lens insertiondevices which deform an intraocular lens while moving the intraocularlens by pushing out the intraocular lens disposed at a lens disposingpart in a transition part by a plunger may employ a structure ofdeforming portions of an outer edge of the intraocular lens across alens traveling axis in a direction orthogonal to the lens travelingaxis.

As long as the apparatuses have a function of moving an intraocularlens, intraocular lens insertion devices may be differently structuredin such a way that a lens disposing part has a function of the firststage of deformation or an intraocular lens deformed to some extentbeforehand may be disposed on a lens disposing part.

Accordingly, the protrusive part slides into an overlapped portion ofthe outer edge of the intraocular lens folded as it travels in atransition part 31. Thus, because the protrusive part is relativelyurged by the thickness to which the outer edge 4 c of the intraocularlens is overlapped in this manner, it is possible to prevent the plungerfrom running on the optical part of the intraocular lens.

This way, the intraocular lens 4 is pushed out by the slider 7 and theplunger 8 from a state where the intraocular lens 4 is disposed on thelens disposing part 15, and is ejected from the nozzle 32 in a statewhere the intraocular lens 4 is folded compactly.

The present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiment, andcan be changed and modified in various forms without departing from thescope of the invention. For example, the explanation has been given ofthe case where the lens holder of the slider pushes the optical part ofthe intraocular lens downwardly and the leading end rail lifts up theperipheral end of the intraocular lens parallel to the lens travelingdirection upwardly. The invention is, however, not limited to this case,and the lens holder of the slider may push one face of the optical partof the intraocular lens upwardly, while the leading end rail may deformthe peripheral end of the intraocular lens parallel to the lenstraveling direction downwardly, which is a direction opposite to theforegoing one direction.

In the foregoing embodiment, although the explanation has been given ofthe case where the intraocular lens insertion device 1 is mainly formedof a synthetic resin overall, the invention is not limited to this case,and the intraocular lens insertion device 1 may be formed of a metal,such as stainless steel, or titanium.

1. An intraocular lens insertion device comprising: a lens disposingpart where an intraocular lens is disposed; a slider for pushing out theintraocular lens; a plunger for further pushing out the intraocular lenspushed out by the slider; a transition part for deforming theintraocular lens pushed out by the slider and the plunger; and a nozzlefor ejecting out the deformed intraocular lens, wherein the sliderincludes: a lens push-out part having a larger contact area than that ofthe plunger; and a lens holder for pressingly holding one face of anoptical part of the intraocular lens relative to one direction, and thetransition part deforms portions of an outer edge of the intraocularlens that are parallel to a lens traveling direction relative to another direction opposite to the one direction.
 2. The intraocular lensinsertion device according to claim 1, wherein the transition partincludes a pair of rails parallel to the lens traveling direction, saidrails having an inclined face inclined to the other direction as thelens moves to the lens traveling direction.